A Poway High School teacher has been placed on administrative leave while the San Diego County Sheriff's Office investigates allegations of misconduct involving students, with the conduct reportedly occurring sometime during the current school year. The school says students brought the allegations forward, and officials reported them to law enforcement as soon as they learned of the claims.
According to FOX 5 San Diego, the Sheriff's Office confirmed it is investigating allegations of teacher misconduct at a Poway school, and said the alleged behavior reportedly took place during this current school year. The outlet reports that Poway High School placed the teacher on leave due to alleged inappropriate behavior on campus, a decision detailed in a letter from Principal Jonathan Penuliar.
Students Came Forward, Principal Says
Per the principal's letter, the allegations were first reported by students, and school officials said they immediately reported the alleged behavior to law enforcement once they were informed. Penuliar thanked the students who came forward and urged others to report anything they see, the station's report notes.
Penuliar said the school takes the concerns seriously and is committed to providing a safe and comfortable learning environment, while also acknowledging that the district is limited in what it can share given the ongoing investigation and personnel issues involved. The Sheriff's Office is collaborating with Poway Unified School District as the inquiry continues, per the same account.
Details Remain Limited
Officials have not released further specifics or provided a timeline for the investigation's conclusion.
Anyone with information can contact the Sheriff's Family Protection Detail at 858-285-6112, or call 858-868-3200 after hours. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477, or through the organization's app or website.
Other Poway Unified Cases, Unrelated to This Investigation
This investigation is separate from other cases that have previously involved Poway Unified School District educators, and nothing in the current matter ties it to those earlier incidents. In one, a Mt. Carmel High School teacher identified as Walker pleaded not guilty to 17 felony counts of sexually assaulting a female student, according to a separate FOX 5 San Diego report. That outlet reported prosecutors alleged the assaults lasted from 2017 to 2020, when the victim turned 18, while NBC 7 San Diego reported the alleged sexual acts took place between 2017 and 2019.
In another case, former Poway Unified educator Kaitlyn Barron was charged in September 2025 with contributing to the delinquency of minors, in connection with allegations that she encouraged minors to drink alcohol, according to 10News. The same report described a related civil lawsuit alleging that five special-needs students in an IEP program were groomed, manipulated, and sexually abused by Barron.
A 2018 investigation by NCSE Sesame also found that Poway Unified had signed confidential resignation agreements with two former teachers, examining allegations involving students at Westview and Del Norte high schools. None of these past cases has been shown to be connected to the current investigation at Poway High School, and no broader pattern has been established.
